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Monday 1 June 2026 · Ep 97 · Curated by Mike Litman

Zegna stages its runway in Los Angeles, joining Dior and Gucci

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In this episode

1Fashion and Style

Luxury plants its flag in Los Angeles as the European growth story stalls

Zegna joins Dior, Gucci, and Vuitton in staging major runway moments in the US, and Los Angeles specifically, as the sector's traditional European and Chinese engines cool simultaneously. Several big houses staging shows there suggests the US matters more to luxury's growth plans as other markets cool.

Why it mattersLos Angeles may settle in as a regular stop for luxury shows.

Via Business of Fashion

Five more signals

2Fashion and Style

Surrealism is fashion's dominant visual language right now, not a reference.

Why it mattersSurrealism has moved from occasional reference to fashion's main visual language, leaving minimalism looking like an older brief.

Via Vogue
3Tech and Digital

AI costs have outpaced AI value, and corporate buyers are starting to act on that.

Why it mattersProcurement is catching up with what pilots already showed, so subsidised AI pricing looks set to end.

Via South China Morning Post
4Brand and Business

Apple is framing smart glasses as an eyewear category play, not a tech product launch.

Why it mattersLuxury eyewear houses could meet the kind of rival Swatch and Seiko met when Apple launched the Watch.

Via The Verge

On our radar beforeApple has now come up in 17 of our 97 episodes. First: Ep 1, 25 Feb. Latest: Ep 61, 26 Apr. Every episode on Apple.

5Music and Entertainment

YouTube-trained directors are producing cinema's breakout horror hits, not its curiosities.

Why it mattersHorror's breakout directors are increasingly coming from YouTube rather than film school, and the talent pipeline is moving with them.

Via New Yorker Culture
6Design and Architecture

A Madrid office designed on 1990s New York codes signals retro-professional as the new premium workplace aesthetic.

Why it mattersPremium workplace design is shifting towards referential, material-led spaces that borrow from 1990s New York offices.

Via Dezeen
What it means

Brands pick the places where culture gets made.

Zegna joining Dior, Gucci and Vuitton on Los Angeles runways, Apple pitching smart glasses as eyewear rather than tech, and a Madrid office built on 1990s New York codes all plant a flag in a place, literal or cultural. In each case the organisation chooses where culture gets made instead of following its audience, and expects the audience to follow.

One to watch

Oliver Peoples will announce a strategic partnership or co-development agreement with a major tech hardware company before the end of Q3 2026.

Tomorrow, by breakfast

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Zegna stages its runway in Los Angeles, joining Dior and GucciEp 97